This week on pplpod, we dive into the colorful, controversial world of Pedro Almodóvar’s 1989 classic, Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (¡Átame!). We break down the breakout performance of a young Antonio Banderas as Ricky, a released psychiatric patient who kidnaps an actress (Victoria Abril) with a plan to force her to fall in love with him so they can marry and have children.

Join us as we discuss:

• Genre-Bending: How Almodóvar blends elements of horror and thriller with romantic comedy to create what he calls a "romantic fairy tale".

• The Controversy: The legal battle against the MPAA that ensued after the film received an X rating—due in part to a scuba diver toy—and how this movie was instrumental in the creation of the NC-17 rating.

• Beauty and the Beast ...